Woven fabric and method of making the same



April 3, 1934. w 5 NUTTER 1,953,720

WOVEN FABRIC AND METHOD MAKING THE SAME Filed July 22, 1932 Fig.1. I

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q 1 William S. NuTTer Y/wAMkW ATTys.

Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT Fence WOVEN FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME corporation of Maine Application July 22, 1932, Serial No. 623,949

3 Claims.

This invention relates to woven fabrics of the general type shown in my Patents No. 1,131,259, March 9, 1915, and No. 1,845,721, February 16, 1932. In the fabric illustrated in these patents one of the yarn components, preferably the weft yarns, contain the fibres of the Angora fieece including the so-called kemp fibres. The presence of the kemp fibres in the thread or yarn tends to produce a streaky appearance in the cloth because of the fact that the kemp fibres are larger and more wiry than the other fibres of the Angora fleece, which are soft and silky.

In the fabrics disclosed in said patents the streaky appearance normally caused by the presence of the kemp fibres in the yarn is broken up or neutralized by employing for the other yarn component a yarn which is more or less variegated in coloring. In the Patent No. 1,131,259 this variegated character is secured by doubling together two strands, one of which is a light color corresponding in general to the color of the kemp fibre, and the other of which is a darker color and in Patent No. 1,845,721 this variegated characteristic is provided for by first doubling together a light-colored strand and a darker colored strand and then doubling this two-ply strand with another darker colored strand.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel fabric of this general type which can be made without requiring the doubling operations that are a necessary part of the methods of making the fabrics described in said patents, thereby reducing the expense involved in the manufacture of the fabric.

In the improved fabric herein described one of the interwoven threads, as for instance, the filling thread, may be of the same character as the filling thread in the above-mentioned patents, that is, it is made from or at least contains the fibres of the Angora fleece including the kemp fibres. In the present invention, however, the streaky appearance which would normally be caused by the presence of the kemp fibres in the weft yarn is broken up or neutralized by arranging the warp threads in groups of three, each group including a light colored thread having a color corresponding to that of the kemp fibres and two darker colored threads, the threads of each group lying parallel to each other on the warp beam of the loom without being twisted together.

In carrying out the weaving operations each group of three warp threads is treated as a single warp thread, that is, a group of three such threads will be threaded through the eye of each heddle and in the case of a plain weave each dent of the reed may contain two adjacent groups of three warp threads. During the formation of the sheds as the weaving progresses the engagement with each other of the two groups of threads occupying the same dent will cause the threads to roll on each other thereby partially twisting together the threads of each group and as the weaving progresses this slight twist is woven into the fabric. As a result the threads of each group, instead of appearing in the fabric as straight parallel threads will be rolled or twisted slightly at intervals so that the light colored thread of each group of three threads is brought to the surface at indeterminate intervals. The white thread of each group will thus appear on the surface of the fabric more or less frequently and in an irregular manner and in a sufficient degree to break up the streaky appearance otherwise caused by the presence of the kemp fibres in the weft or filling thread.

In the present invention the operation of and consequent expense involved in doubling together the light and the darker colored strands or plies of each warp thread is eliminated and as a result this invention provides a satisfactory fabric of this type which can be made at a considerable less expense than those described in the abovementioned patents.

In the drawing wherein I have illustrated more or less diagrammatically a fabric embodying my invention and one way of weaving the fabric, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a fabric embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the way 7 of threading up the loom;

Fig. 3 is a side View of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged diagrammatic view showing the way in which the plies or strands forming each group of three threads are rolled or slightly twisted together during the weaving operation;

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating one form of light colored strand or thread which may be used;

Fig. 6 is a view illustrating the yarn having the fibres of the Angora fleece including the kemp fibre.

As stated above the fabric 'is of that type in which one of the yarn components, preferably the weft yarn, is made of the fibres of the Angora fleece, including the kemp fibres. Such a yarn is indicated at l in Fig, 6 and 2 indicates a kemp fibre in the yarn which is larger and more wiry than the other fibres and which is of white color and is a fibre which will not take a dye so that it remains white even after the yarn or cloth is dyed.

Fig. 1, which shows diagrammatically a woven fabric embodying the invention, is made by interweaving yarns or threads 1 such as shown in Fig. 6, with other threads and the weaving may be such as to produce a plain weave or a twill or any other usual weave. The other threads with which the threads 1 containing the kemp fibres are interwoven have a special arrangement by which when they are interwoven with the fabric they serve to break up or neutralize the streaky appearance normally caused by the kemp fibres 2 in the weft yarns 1. In the present invention these other yarns, which may be the warp yarns, are arranged in groups of three, each group being indicated at 3. Each group 3 comprises a light colored strand or ply 4 and other darker colored strands or plies 5, 6, and in weaving the fabric each group 3 of three strands or plies is treated as a single thread so far as making the shed and interweaving with the weft thread i is concerned.

In beaming the warp preparatory to weaving the fabric the individual plies or threads 4, 5 and 6 will be wound on the warp beam '7 in groups of three threads with the light colored thread 4 of each group between the two darker colored threads 5 and 6 as shown in Fig. 2 so that the threads are placed on the warp beam in the following order: dark colored thread 5; light colored thread 4; dark colored thread 6; dark colored thread 5; light colored thread 4, dark colored thread 6; dark colored thread 5; light colored thread 4; dark colored thread 6, etc.

In threading up the loom a group of threads 4, 5 and 6 will be threaded through the heddle eye 8 of each heddle and preferably two adjacent groups 3 will be led through the same dent 9 of the reed 10. When the loom is thus threaded up the warp threads in each loom are separate and independent from each other and lie parallel to each other without being twisted together but so far as weaving operations are concerned each group of threads is treated as a single thread.

If a plain weave is desired then in forming the shed the alternate heddles will move up and the other heddles move down so that the alternate groups of three warp threads are carried into the upper shed and the remaining groups into the lower shed. Since all the threads of two adjacent groups pass through each dent 9 of the reed 10 the operation of forming the shed causes the threads of each group to roll on each other slightly as they pass the threads of the other group in the dent during the making of the shed and this rolling action serves to partially twist the threads of each group together as perhaps shown best in Fig. 4. In said Fig. 4, 11 indicates the woven cloth and 12 is the fell of the cloth. During the formation of each shed there will be more or less of a rolling action of the threads of each group on each other as the groups of threads pass each other in the shed and this.

rolling action causes the threads of each group to be twisted slightly between the fell 12 of the cloth and the eyes of the heddle.

When each pick is beaten up it serves to lock or retain any slight twist in the threads of each group which may exist at the fell of the cloth since the amount of twist or rolling together of the threads is continually varying during the making of the shed the amount or degree of twist which any group of three threads may have at the fell of the cloth is a variable quantity. Therefore, in the completed fabric the three threads 4, 5 and 6 of each group 3 have a variable position relative to each other at different points. At some points they may show in the fabric with the white thread between the two darker threads and at other places the white thread may lie on top of or underneath one or both of the dark threads. The light thread 4, therefore, of each group appears at the surface of the fabric in an indeterminate manner and at indeterminate intervals and this indeterminate appearance of the white thread serves to break up the streaky appearance due to the presence of the kemp fibres in the filling thread.

In practice I propose to use a light colored strand or ply 4 which is somewhat larger than the darker colored strands although the relative size of the strands may be varied without changing the invention.

The light colored strand 4 may be a smoothly twisted strand or may be one having nubs or bimches 13 in it as shown in Fig. 5. These bunches or nubs can be provided for in any usual way. The presence of these bunches serves to cause the white color of the thread or ply 4 to appear on the surface of the fabric in a still greater indeterminate manner thus still more effec tively breaking up the streaky appearance due to the presence of the kemp fibres and also giving the fabric a rough or sort of home spun appearance. One advantage of this fabric and this method of weaving is that any knot which may be occasioned by piecing of any one of the warp threads 4, 5 or 6 is not apparent due to the fact that the three warp ends are all associated together and treated as a single warp thread. Any knot which might exist in one end of any group of three warp ends will be concealed by the other ends of the group. Furthermore, any knot which is made by piecing one of the warp threads of a group would be very much smaller than a knot made by piecing a warp thread of the size of the three threads combined.

While warp threads arranged in groups of three with each group treated in the weaving operation as a single warp thread have a special advantage when used in connection with a filling thread of mohair which has the kemp fibres therein, yet this form of warp thread may be used with other filling threads than that shown in Fig. 6.

I claim:

1. The method of making a fabric which consists in threading up the loom on which the fabric is to be woven with a group of three warp threads threaded through each heddle eye, which three threads normally lie parallel to each other and are not twisted together and with two adjacent groups of three threads in each dent of the reed, each group of three threads comprising a light colored thread and two darker colored threads, and then weaving a plain fabric by manipulating each group of three warp threads as a single thread in forming the sheds.

2. The method of making a fabric which consists in arranging the warp ends in groups of three with the ends of each group lying parallel and without being twisted together, each group containing a light colored end and two darker colored ends with the light colored end between the two darker colored ends and then interweaving said warp ends with weft threads containing the fibres of the Angora fleece including the kemp fibres, and. in so doing manipulating each group of three warp ends as a single thread in the forand under the same weft threads and the threads of each group lying straight and parallel to each other throughout part of their length and being slightly twisted at indeterminate points in their length, whereby the light colored thread of each group appears at the surface of the fabric at indeterminate intervals and to a sufficient extent to break up the streaky appearance otherwise caused by the presence of the kemp fibres.

WILLIAM S. NU'I'TER. 

